After missing nearly three straight seasons, forward Jonathan Isaac returned to form for the Orlando Magic.
ORLANDO — There was never any questioning Jonathan Isaac's skill set, but his multiple physical setbacks cast doubt on whether he'd ever re-establish himself as one of the NBA's elite defenders.
"The biggest thing was being healthy," Isaac said. "Outside of that, everything to me was a bonus, and now rolling into next season, I can really try to hone my skills and get back to who I've been." Orlando was 35-23 in the games Isaac played and 12-12 without him. Isaac missed 24 games due to multiple lower body injuries. The Magic also exercised caution with Isaac in his first season back, as he averaged 15.8 minutes per game. Those limitations on his playing time likely cost Isaac consideration for the NBA All-Defense team.
"You hear the energy and feel the energy behind that," Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said after the game. "That was such a momentum-building play. I know he got the technical, and we don't want to do that, but the other side of it is we have also said we're a defensive team, and that's setting the tone right away defensively. We're going to protect the rim."Isaac entered the season as one of the Magic's biggest question marks.
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